Robert Gleason, the CFO and general counsel at Evans Hotels - one of three homegrown San Diego hotel empires behind the lawsuit filed against Democratic mayor Bob Filner in an unsuccessful effort to force him to sign a city funding contract negotiated by previous Republican mayor Jerry Sanders, a major beneficiary of hotel cash - is a big political player here.

Records show that Gleason's political interests also extend to New York City, where he last year gave $1000 to city council Speaker Christine Quinn's bid to succeed mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Quinn is facing off against the city's Public Advocate, Bill de Blasio, a fellow Democrat, in a tumultuous campaign that has featured charges and counter-charges over whether Quinn should bear the blame for city council corruption in light of New York's recent rash of municipal bribery busts.

Halloran told an undercover agent posing as a real estate developer that he could dole out Council money in return for cash, prosecutors charge.

“This is one arrest too many, and it's time to just end it,” said de Blasio, who willingly funded favorite projects when he was in the Council.

Replied Quinn:

“It all well and good for Bill de Blasio now that he’s out of the City Council to be saying we should change member items,” she said. “He never raised those issues in any significant way while he was getting (the funds).”

The Daily News added that the city council's practice of linking campaign contributions and city grants is well entrenched:

During his final year in the Council, de Blasio allocated $439,000 in pork to six groups from whom he received more than $90,000 in campaign contributions, according to records.

The 51 Council members get shares of about $150 million in expense spending, which often subsidize their local pet causes. They also get to distribute more than $600 million to invest in city-owned buildings or non-profits.